Today’s automobiles aren’t like the vehicles of yore, especially with breakneck advances in technology transforming their manufacturing processes. With the evolution of lightweight construction, disruptive trends like autonomous driving, and new challenges throughout the transportation industry, the vehicles of the future won’t look like anything you currently see.
As e-mobility takes off, automakers throughout the industry are turning to lightweight materials and multi-material designs to make their conventional and electric vehicles safer and more sustainable. The growing use of these elements demands fast, efficient, and effective fastening solutions.
Key Challenges in the Transportation Industry
As more automakers incorporate electric drivetrain technology and renewables into their vehicles, the demand for lightweight materials continues unabated. That poses several unique challenges for automakers:
- Making effective use of disparate materials, including fiber composites, sandwich materials, and honeycomb structures, in automotive applications despite gaps in fastener technology
- Ensuring optimal quality control while making production more efficient, flexible, and sustainable
- Keeping costs in focus with production goals and benchmarks
One way of meeting these challenges head-on is through the use of Artificial Intelligence, made possible by the digitalization of manufacturing processes. With the above in mind, Swiss start-up company MM-Welding developed an innovative fastening technology platform that incorporates the insights of AI and Big Data.
MultiMaterial-Welding Advantages
Unlike conventional automotive fasteners, MM-Welding technology relies on ultrasonic energy to join various lightweight materials in a form-locked bond. Said bond is achieved by partially liquefying thermoplastic fastening elements. MultiMaterial-Welding ultimately offers a broad range of benefits:
- Faster – Without the need for curing times, MultiMaterial-Welding offers faster in-line processing than conventional fastening methods.
- Stronger – MultiMaterial-Welding’s ultrasonic fastening process produces a stronger, more durable bond than comparable processes.
- Cleaner – Surface pretreatment is unnecessary and no additional materials are required. MultiMaterial-Welding also eliminates the excess waste associated with other conventional processes.
- Flexible – Pre-positioning and tolerance compensation are no longer needed for joining lightweight materials and multi-material designs
- Measurable – AI and Big Data gives users statistical control over the entire process, resulting in significant gains in overall quality.
- Proven – MultiMaterial-Welding technology has a proven track record throughout a broad range of industrial processes, as well as the medical industry.
Combined with the use of MM-Welding’s SmartSolutions software, automakers can leverage their AI and Big Data assets to achieve real-time production quality control and very high prediction accuracy.
To learn more about real-time quality control of joining processes or to get started with fastening solutions like MM-Welding, contact us today at ProvenProductivity@bossard.com.
How This Fastening Solution is Using AI and Big Data to Transform How Vehicles Are Constructed by Bossard
